1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to medical equipment, in particular to dental handpieces.
2. Description of the Related Art
A dental handpiece is known from RU patent 2030904, issued Mar. 20, 1995. This dental handpiece comprises a handle-body with channels arranged therein for supply and discharge of air, a head with a body extending sidewise from the handle-body, the head being mounted with the possibility for turning in a sagital plane by 360° C. by means of a turning sleeve arranged in the handle-body of the handpiece and entering into engagement on one side with a screw drive mounted on the handle-body, and on the other side with a pinion connected to the body of the head, a turbine arranged in the head and mounted on bearings. The dental instrument in the known handpiece is mounted in a collet holder connected to the turbine and having therewith a common axis of rotation. The known device additionally comprises a light guide positioned inside the handle-body and the head.
A drawback of the known device is presence of the head body extending transversely to the handle-body and thus making the operation of the instrument in the patient's mouth cavity more complex. An additional drawback of the known device is absence of a possibility for structural embodiment of coinciding axis of rotation of the dental instrument and longitudinal axis of the handle-body. One more drawback of the known device is necessity to use a single light guide therein, which light guide passes through the handle inside the head what results in its twisting when the head turns, what may cause breaking of this light guide.
A dental instrument is known from a patent application RU 96101748, published May 10, 1998, this instrument comprising a head with a chuck holder for the working instrument, a collar, a body and a system for driving the chuck holder, wherein an axis of the chuck-holder of the instrument making an angle in respect to the working axis of rotation of the head, in combination with the latter and depending on the modification forms a working surface which is one from a complete circle to a complete cone with fixed working points, when the head makes a full turn about its axis.
The dental instrument known from patent application RU 96101748 has the same drawbacks as the dental handpiece known from patent RU 2030904.
Micromotors are also known from prior art and are described, for example, in generally available technical manuals and advertising materials of the Siemens, Sirona, Kawo firms. Micromotors were relatively widely used in dental equipment as a compact device providing driving action for rotating movement of a dental instrument, for example, a drill. A drawback of existing micromotors is their limited functionality when used only with mechanical dental handpieces.